• NSU Home
• College of Law
• Admission

Applicants Who Have Been Disqualified from Law School

There is little doubt that being dismissed from law school can be devastating.  Human nature might compel you to get right back in and prove that you can do it if you just try harder.  Each student is different and the reasons behind dismissal differ as well.  NSU Law will consider for first-year admission, applicants who have been dismissed from ABA-approved law schools. You are not considered to be a transfer applicant, nor will advanced standing credit be assigned for your law study completed before dismissal.

Academic Dismissal

Whether you were academically dismissed from NSU Law or another ABA-approved law school, admission or readmission as a first-year student requires you demonstrate to the Admissions Committee that the prior disqualification is not a lack of ability and that you are capable of successfully completing the academic program and being admitted to the bar. 

If you have been academically dismissed from law school you must include in your application, typically the personal statement, information that shows that external factors, not lack of ability, created a barrier to your success in law study. Whenever possible, documentation to support your claims should be provided.

• Why do you believe you were academically dismissed?
• What have you learned about yourself as a result of the dismissal?
• What have you done since being academically excluded that will predict future success?
• Distinguish in detail what you would do differently, if admitted to NSU Law than what you did in your first attempt at law school?
• How are you attempting ‘self-care’ and finding balance again in your life, while you address the pain, loss of confidence, etc. that this academic dismissal may be causing?
• NSU Law does not believe that beginning law school a few months after being dismissed offers the opportune time needed to regroup. Please address sitting out a year, or two, before beginning 1L at NSU Law.
• If we have one seat left for a student who was academically dismissed but who is the best prepared, and you are one of 2 competing for this seat, how should we decide and why?

Dismissal for Non-Academic Reasons

If you were dismissed from an ABA-approved law school for non-academic reasons you may be considered for first-year admission.  Typically, such dismissals relate to honor code or conduct violations, or academic dishonesty.  If you were dismissed from law school for non-academic reasons, you would have to demonstrate 1) that your grades in law school clearly demonstrate academic ability and 2) that the cause for dismissal would not likely preclude admission to the bar based on character and fitness for the practice of law.

It is advisable that you consult with bar authorities in the jurisdiction(s) in which you intend to seek bar admission and receive a determination as to whether the issue would be prohibitive of bar admission. 

Your application should fully disclose the facts of the matter or matters that led to dismissal and provide evidence that such problems are unlikely to present themselves again and that bar authorities have provided assurance that bar admission would not be negatively impacted by the matter or matters involved.

• Why do you believe you were academically dismissed?
• What have you learned about yourself as a result of the dismissal?
• What have you done since being academically excluded that will predict future success?
• Distinguish in detail what you would do differently, if admitted to NSU Law than what you did in your first attempt at law school?
• How are you attempting ‘self-care’ and finding balance again in your life, while you address the pain, loss of confidence, etc. that this academic dismissal may be causing?
• NSU Law does not believe that beginning law school a few months after being dismissed offers the opportune time needed to regroup. Please address sitting out a year, or two, before beginning 1L at NSU Law.
• If we have one seat left for a student who was academically dismissed but who is the best prepared, and you are one of 2 competing for this seat, how should we decide and why?

Application Checklist

• You must complete and submit the NSU Law Application for First-Year JD Admission using the LSAC Electronic Application Service.  NSU Law does not charge an application fee.
• You are required to have a current subscription to the LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS). That contains all official transcript(s) from all post-secondary educational institutions. This includes the dismissing law school, any dual enrollment (for example, courses taken during high school at a community college) or registered courses whether completed or not. These transcripts must be sent by the institution(s) directly, and not by the applicant. Your CAS subscription remains active for five years. Information on CAS is found at www.LSAC.org .
• You must write a personal statement that details the circumstances that led to your law school dismissal and provides evidence that you are academically capable of law study and being admitted to the bar.  Provide documentation in support of your statement whenever possible.  Evidence that you have or are actively remediating problems is useful.
• Two (2) letters of recommendation are required through the LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS). One letter should preferably be from a law professor who can attest to your ability to enter a competitive program in the law, after your dismissal.
• You must write a Statement of Success. This is in addition to the Personal Statement. A Statement of Success indicates in detail how you plan to be successful if admitted. This statement needs your full thought, attention, and drafting before submission as we expect that this statement exhibits stronger writing and advocacy skills than a first-time applicant.